V Day

Valentine's Day envelopes for my students, stuffed with cards from their classmates.

I have never liked Valentine's Day. This year, I really began to ask myself why. Was it the abundance of gaudy pink and red merchandise? Was it the sheer consumerism of it all? I liked to think that these were some of the reasons behind my feelings, but today I dug a little deeper and realized it's none of those things. It's just plain disappointing.

Just like the fairy tales I heard as a little girl, I feel like Valentine's Day generates a lot of hype for what's bound to be more like a soul-crushing dose of reality than a happily ever after. Whether I've been in a relationship or not on this amorous day, it never fails to disappoint. If I'm not in a relationship, sure there's the in-your-faceness of all the couples around who seem to be living the Valentine's Day dream, but even when I've been in a relationship, the cliche box of chocolates and red roses just leave something to be desired.

Where's the spontaneity, the individuality, the real heart-feltness in it? Where are the flowers just because, not because it's Valentine's Day? Where are the words of affection that are written from the heart, not from the Hallmark factory?

I would love real, honest-to-goodness, personalized romance any day, but especially when it's absent on a day when I'm told I'm supposed to get it (even in mass-market, impersonalized ways) it just really drives the point home.

Trying to spare some of my students the agony of feeling unloved or not as loved as their classmates, I stuffed some extra Valentines into their envelopes. Maybe it wasn't the most honest thing to do, but I didn't want to watch Sophia opening her two Valentines while Poly opened her twelve. As I checked the envelopes, I realized I didn't need to stuff David's because he took care of it for himself!

Preach it, David!

Whether you're in a relationship or not this Valentine's Day, please remember to love yourself!

MIA

Hello friends! I'm sorry I've been so MIA for the past couple months... life in Korea has gotten busier and busier. There are still plenty of things to tell you about, but I can't seem to find the time or motivation to do so.

To be honest, I feel sort of overwhelmed right now by the effort it takes to try to live a life in a foreign country while still maintaining relationships back home. It's a lot of work and it leaves me feeling strapped for time.

Please accept this lame little post as my way of saying, "I'm alive, I'm doing well, I just don't have time to chronicle it right now."

I'm A-OK

View of Seoul from the Seoul Tower

I'm sure most of you have heard about the bombings here in South Korea on Tuesday, and I want to try to put your mind at ease as much I can.

First, although this was the first time North Korea killed civilians in an attack, most sources I've read or spoken to agree that this is "just another stunt" by the North. I'll admit, it's a bit unnerving to live in a country where you see plumes of smoke on TV one day, and it's business as usual the next. My South Korean friends told me they're just used to it. I think that's incredibly sad to have to be "used to" bombings and threats on a regular basis.

The good news is that China isn't supporting their latest scare tactic, although they're not really taking a stand against them, and the North seems to be worried that their only source of outside support right now is coming from China, which is why they're demanding money from Seoul and Washington.

Seoul and Washington's take on the matter is called "strategic patience" which I take to mean that they'll let the North throw little fits, without doing much in retaliation. By continuing to wait it out and not give aid, they're hoping to starve out and further isolate the North Koreans, which I don't totally agree with. Many North Koreans are already starving to death and are trapped under a bloody regime of terror. Also, I feel that letting them get to a point of sheer desperation isn't the best idea. Then again, I don't want Seoul and Washington to retaliate on a full-blown war level, so I guess it's a good thing I'm not making the decisions in this matter. The cost for Seoul would be devastating, while the North seems to view civilian and military casualties as cheap and utterly expendable.

To put your mind at ease, I want to assure you that I'm not in any danger here and the US embassy (which I am registered with, rest assured) hasn't issued any warnings or evacuations.

I think if it did come to evacuations, I would be absolutely devastated to leave my children behind. But it hasn't come to that, and I'm confident that it won't, so for now I'll continue to teach and explore and grow.

Thank you for all your emails of concern and your prayers - they mean a lot!

Seoul Lantern Festival

Last weekend I went to the Seoul Lantern Festival with some of my friends and it was both breathtaking and ridiculously crowded. It's definitely a plus to be a 5'10" American woman in such situations, though, because I had a pretty good view of the lanterns, and my friends could find me easily if we got separated.

Some hanging lanterns and some lotus lanterns in the stream. Lovely!

This one was my favorite - a woman in a hanbok sitting in a lotus bloom.

The hanging lanterns up and down the stream really made the whole night sparkle.

Some of the lanterns were two stories high!

There was a special lantern in honor of the G 20 Summit... President Obama sure looks happy about it!

Not sure what this lantern is... looks like an angry red genie bursting out of a flaming box.

Hey! I know that lady!

If you ask me, the Seoul mascot is a bit... cheesy. It's hard to believe this is what they want representing them to the world.

Yay! It's almost Christmas!!

I had a great time taking in the glowing sights and spending time with my good friends. I highly recommend seeing a lantern festival if you come to Korea - they're spectacular! Luckily you don't have to plan your travel itinerary around one because they happen quite frequently in different areas all over SoKo. In fact, festivals of any nature always seem to be going on! I like that they find ways to celebrate even the little things in life, like kimchi. Yes, there is a kimchi festival and I want to go!

Chez Moi

I can't believe I've lived here for over four months already... and I haven't shared any photos of my apartment! Mee ahn hamneeda! (Sorry!) So, with no further adieu, I give you Chez Becky:

I love my view! I'm on the 17th Floor, so I really get a birds-eye view of Sanbon and beyond!

My Living Room, which features an entire wall of windows! Love it!

Living Room/Desk area. I found that fabric on the wall at Dongdaemun Market and it really spiced up the place! I used the remainder of the fabric to cover my headboard!

I'm really lucky to have an American style bed... and a Queen Size at that! No sleeping on the floor for me! :) (And a big Thank You to my mom for the amazing sheets! I love them!)

Kitchen/Entryway. You can see my tiny washer (no dryer) and miniscule cooking range. It only has two tiny burners! Still, I've made do, but I miss having an oven for sure!

Entryway/Kitchen/Bathroom. Yes, I am totally Korean and I take my shoes off indoors and leave them at the entryway. Plus, you can see my little bathroom slippers that I wear in there, too.

Not a super exciting photo, but I figured you might like to see the telecom device that rings when someone rings my doorbell. The little TV turns on and I can see them outside my door, and pick up the phone and talk to them if I want to. This is particularly handy for avoiding Jehovah's Witnesses. The little dial knob to the left is to turn on my floor heat, which is how all buildings are heated here in South Korea. Quite cozy!

View of my apartment from the front door.

My little fridge, complete with a magnet from Janice (Thanks, J!) and some family memories. (Em, I need more pictures of the girls!)

And here is the Shathroom. Hmm. Maybe I need to come up with another name. Anyway, my entire bathroom is the shower! You can see the square drain on the floor and the shower head is just right there on the wall. It's a little annoying that everything gets wet every time I shower, but I'm getting used to it. It makes cleaning the bathroom a breeze, though. Scrub it up and hose it down! :)

More bathroom. It's hard to make it look very inviting when everything gets doused all the time. This little plant seems to like the climate, and the candle is just out of range of the shower, so at least I've got that going for my bathroom! :)

Et voila! I hope you liked my little tour!

To Market, To Market

The Chungang Market in Anyang.

If there is one shopping experience I absolutely love, it's a good market. I miss the Farmers Market back home in Charlotte a lot, but thankfully SoKo has some options as well. Last weekend I strolled around Anyang looking for some Christmas presents for my family, when I stumbled across the Chungang Market. Hooray!

Spices, beans, roots and lots of things that I can't pronounce.

The Chungang Market is a semi-outdoor market that is simply bursting with stall after stall of vendors selling everything from underwear to intestines. Yup, I said intestines. You can watch a woman measuring rice, then walk two feet away and watch another woman gutting a pig. I won't lie, some of the sights were a bit traumatic.

Ginseng!

Although South Korea is very techno-savvy and seems to be rushing into the future at light speed, I love the fact that they're still very much into Slow Food, farmers markets and alternatives to Western medicine.

Another SoKo Shopping Adventure

A creepy statue outside of Costco: "Let's look fondly at that little girl crying on the wall!"

Yesterday my friend Sheila and I decided to brave the Seoul bus system and make another trip to Costco. The whole trip usually takes about five hours and is a pretty jarring experience due to the language barriers, crowds and - most of all - the bus drivers.

I'm not sure if the bus drivers here in Seoul have had any sort of driving education, because they wield their massive bus like it's a Mini Cooper through traffic. I wish there was a way to adequately describe how terrifying this experience is, but there are no words. Let's just say that everyone looks particularly pale and shaky when they get off the bus, especially us waygooks.

While we were waiting for the bus, I decided to have a little sip of something to calm my stomach before the inevitable storm, and found this tantalizing selection:

Mmm! I love random!

Besides the usually beggars and business people at the bus stop, on this particular trip we had the pleasure of seeing an ajuma with maroon hair and purple velvet ruched pants. Pretty sweet.

A fashion statement, indeed.

After a long and somewhat stressful shopping endeavor, I left with some nice tastes of home: Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa, Kashi cereal, Cheerios, Carr's Table Water Crackers, Craisins, Tampons and - hallelujah - cheese! It's nearly impossible to find decent cheese in SoKo, and for a decent price.

A slight disparity in size: bulk Craisins vs. "bulk" tampons.

All in all, I'm glad there's a Costco where I can get some nice American products from time to time, even though the journey is long and nauseating. Enjoying some cheese and crackers makes it all worthwhile, and at least I know the Costco products aren't eons old like some of the things at the Foreign Foods Market in Itaewon:

I'm pretty sure this deodorant is older than me. Plus, they syrup I bought there already expired. Thanks, Foreign Foods Market.